Welcome to my website!

I have been a dedicated health insurance agent since 2000. I started my career when my husband Joe wanted to take early retirement. We were faced with purchasing our own health insurance for the first time and I couldn’t find anyone to help us. I did my own research, then went to school and because a licensed agent. I know what it’s like to sit on your side of the table!

I know health insurance isn’t the easiest subject. Especially now with all the ACA changes, aka “Obama care”. It can be confusing and with all the rhetoric and sound bites, it’s been a challenge to understand what it all means and how it impacts how you purchase insurance.

I pride myself on listening to my clients, asking the right questions and helping you find the right coverage for your needs and budget. I will explain how the Affordable Care Act works (in simple terms I promise!), what it means for you and how it can help make your health insurance more affordable. I’ll make sure you understand all the terms and how the coverage will work.

Last year I assisted over 400 families get health insurance for the first time, find new ACA compliant plans or get enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan. It was an amazing adventure! Cover Oregon created a lot of drama! As challenging as it was, I loved every minute! I met amazing people, heard wonderful stories and have been honored and delighted to have some of those folks come back and tell me how much having affordable health insurance has affected their lives.

Cover Oregon?

If you received tax credits last year to help pay for your health insurance through Cover Oregon, you need to re-apply for 2015 tax credits. As you may have heard, we are using new software this year to make it so much easier. No more 19 pages of paper! You can simply click on the link to the ACA Express and you will be able to enter all of your information – it should take 15 minutes or less! When you get your tax credit answer, you can browse plans and instantly see what your actual cost will be for insurance plans. If you need help finding the best plan, please give me a call or email me and I’ll help you figure it out. Remember that the cheapest plan isn’t always the best – paying a little more each month may make your plan much more affordable in the long run with lower copays, lower deductible and lower out of pocket.

Some of the companies sent you an estimate of your next year’s premium. Keep in mind that they have no idea if your financial situation has changed. Last year, two of the companies offered the lowest rates and the most popular plans. Lots of people chose them and many of those folks used their new insurance a lot. So those companies were able to justify a rate increase for 2015. The other companies that had higher premiums last year came back to the market place with lower premiums this year. Also keep in mind that the Affordable Care Act is based on the premise of health insurance on a sliding scale. If the cost of insurance goes up, so does the amount of tax credits. The new federal software is tested, accurate and efficient. Oregon has a very competitive marketplace. By definition, your 2015 health insurance plan will be as affordable as your 2014 plan.

You can come meet with me in person – call my office at 503-838-1155 to schedule an appointment. I can also help you over the phone and by email. If I helped you last year, I have all your information on file and can quickly enter it and then help you through the plan selection process.

Important dates: Open enrollment is from November 15 thru February 15, 2015 – BUT – if you have tax credits for 2014, your current insurance plan will expire on December 31st. To avoid a break in coverage, you must complete your application and plan selection between November 15 and February 15.

Purchasing Health Insurance?

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If you enrolled directly with a company (paying full price without tax credits)

You received a letter from your company saying in effect that your plan was ending. In fact, the 2014 version of the plan is ending. You may simply contact the company to re-enroll in the 2015 version. Some plans have minor changes. Keep in mind that you have open enrollment to change plans or to a new company between November 15 and February 15. If you do nothing, your current insurance company will re-enroll you in the closest plan to what you have automatically. If you have questions or want to look at options for 2015, let me know!

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Healthy Kids/OHP

You shouldn’t need to do anything. The Oregon Health Authority will send you a renewal notice/income verification letter at some point. If you completed a full application through Cover Oregon last year, you don’t need to do it again. Some people got “fast tracked” last year into OHP and those members are being asked to complete an application – you will receive one in the mail if that’s the case. I can still help you enter those through our Cover Oregon agent portal, however I will have limited time – if you need help, please let me know.

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Small Employer Group Coverage

I specialize in helping small employers evaluate whether they should offer group coverage to their employees and if so how. As an independent agent, I work with all the carriers and it is always just me. I don’t have a giant staff, any for that matter, doing my work for me. If I help you as a small employer, it will always be me that you will be dealing with. I come in person, meet with you and your employees as needed.